Anticoagulant agents were tested systemically in pre–clinical models of acute lung injury (ALI) (thesis G. Choi, collaboration with the Univ. of Toronto; VENI (ZonMW)–grant); these agents were additionally tested locally (i.e., by means of nebulization) in similar models (thesis J–J. Hofstra, VENI–grant); a mouse–ventilation model was set–up, and successfully used for a first series of studies in which anticoagulants were tested for the prevention of ventilator–induced lung injury (thesis E. Wolthuis); a clinical study on the prevalence and pathophysiology of transfusion–related ALI (thesis A. Vlaar, collaboration with Sanguin, Amsterdam) and a clinical study on the effects of a natural anticoagulant in single–organ ALI were started (thesis J–J. Hofstra, collaboration with the Free University, Amsterdam; industry–sponsored); a study on lower versus conventional tidal volumes in patients not suffering from ALI in the ICU was continued (thesis R. Determann); a similar study was finished in the OR (thesis G. Choi and E. Wolthuis); an automatic mode of mechanical ventilation was tested in cardiothoracic surgery patients (thesis D. Dongelmans; industry–sponsored) and patients after
tracheotomy (thesis D. Veelo); manual hyperinflation was tested and improved in a skills–laboratory (thesis F. Paulus).
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